Portable electronic devices are increasingly popular as they gain advanced functionality and improved durability. As a result, these devices are increasingly exposed to new environments which may introduce liquid or particulate matter within apertures of the device housing, potentially interfering with, or destroying, electronic components contained within the device. Accordingly, to prevent and impede ingress of foreign matter, many portable devices are manufactured with internal environmental seals enclosing apertures of the device housing. Examples of environmental seals include mesh gratings, foam inserts, liquid sealants, and rubber gaskets.
Certain portable electronic devices may provide elements such as microphones or speakers to receive or produce sounds through an aperture, or acoustic port, of the device housing. In some circumstances, foreign matter arrested by a seal may accumulate within the acoustic port, thereby obstructing and interfering with the performance of the element. Accordingly, many acoustic ports are manufactured with an additional mesh grating along the exterior of the device to impede accumulation of particulate foreign matter within the acoustic port.
However, external mesh gratings are often ineffective in preventing liquid ingress and accumulation within acoustic ports. Agitation of a portable device or inclusion of additional apertures and air channels may eliminate some accumulated liquid, but, for many portable devices, acoustic ports are small and removal of accumulated liquid has proven difficult.
Accordingly, there may be a need for an environmental seal to an acoustic port of a portable electronic device that effectively facilitates the elimination of liquid accumulated within the port.